Trump ‘not considering’ Haley as running mate

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump said on Saturday that former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was not being considered to be his running mate in the November election, dismissing a report by news site Axios.

“Nikki Haley is not under consideration for the VP slot, but I wish her well!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Citing people familiar with the situation, Axios had reported that Trump could pick Haley if he were convinced she could help him win the presidency, avoid a potential prison sentence and cover tens of millions in legal bills if he loses.

Haley, the former South Carolina governor and a former US ambassador to the United Nations, ended her long-shot challenge to Republican presidential frontrunner Trump in March.

Comment was not immediately available from Haley.

While she has acknowledged that Trump, who repeatedly belittled her candidacy, would be the Republican nominee, Haley has not endorsed him.

There was already a long list of potential candidates for the vice president position that includes North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, US Senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott and JD Vance, and US Representative Elise Stefanik.

Burgum and Scott competed against Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination before dropping out.

Noem has been embroiled in controversy after revealing in a memoir that she once shot a 14-month-old dog for being disobedient.

Trump is in no hurry to pick a running mate, according to advisers.

He will not be formally nominated until the Republican convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July. He will face President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the Nov.5 general election.

Meanwhile, Trump is known for leveling constant and often personal attacks on top rivals such as Joe Biden.

Lately, he’s increasingly taking that same approach against independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr.